The-Ozone Midweek Mailbag: Early Departures

Now that we have a breather between football games, I thought we could take some time out for a mailbag. Even though there is nothing going on, there is still plenty going on.

If I didn’t get to your question, rest assured that it was just because I didn’t have a good answer. Also, I had to split this in two parts and I’ll get to the second part maybe this weekend. Hopefully I’ll have answers for you then. Thanks.

With Urb loving QB runs, is Tate a legit candidate to start next year regardless of Haskins arm? — @jaxon_knife

I think any quarterback signed by Urban Meyer is a legitimate candidate to start or else he wouldn’t sign him. That being said, it is going to be difficult for Tate Martell to beat out Dwayne Haskins or Joe Burrow as the starter next year. That being said being said, Tate Martell is going to play next year because of the things he can do with the football. He would complement whichever quarterback ends up starting next year, unless it’s him.

How are football scheduling negotiations proceding with Mercer, Rice and the Citadel? — Shad N Freud

They are not going very well because those schools are all booked years in advance. It’s like trying to get tickets to Hamilton right now. There are 14 assistant athletic directors from the SEC standing in line at Mercer right now hoping for tickets. There is also a possibility of picking up The Citadel on the secondary market when one of the SEC teams buys them out to add somebody easier.

Why Mike Weber instead of Paris Campbell on kick returns? — losu1

My thought here — and I’ve shared it couple of times on my podcast Accost the Field as well as our forum — is that with Parris Campbell’s concussion issues this year, the staff doesn’t want to put him at kickoff return where the collisions can be much bigger than anywhere else on the football field.

Hoops team make the top half of B1G? — Purgatory Buck

I have no idea. Wisconsin doesn’t appear to be very good this year and Michigan is notoriously iffy early in the season. Still, Wisconsin and Michigan are two programs that generally don’t let happen what Ohio State did to them. I don’t know what the rest of the Big Ten really looks like, but I do still expect some struggles from the Buckeyes this year. I could also see the length of the season getting to them because of their lack of depth in the backcourt. The fact that Chris Holtmann has had to go to his 6-4 power forward to play point guard is a pretty good indication of the levels of smoke and mirrors we’re talking about. There are going to be bad losses against mediocre teams this year because the shots don’t fall, but they’ll also be able to capitalize on other games with their defense — assuming they continue to defend the way they did against Michigan in the second half on Monday.

The status of Malik Barrow’s rehab. I’m hoping he can still be a monster at the DT position. We’ll need it in 2018. — A-Row

Redshirt freshman defensive tackle Malik Barrow tore his ACL in late September and had surgery on October 13. It went perfectly. I was told Malik was in great spirits following the surgery and ready to attack the rehab. Those spirits continued into the fall and throughout the regular season. OSU’s head physical therapist Adam Stewart, who has done wonders with Johnnie Dixon and Marshon Lattimore, and was the magician who got J.T. Barrett ready to go for the Big Ten Championship Game, is overseeing Barrow’s return. There is nobody better in the nation at doing what he does, and I have not been told of any setbacks in the last month and I don’t expect any setbacks. Malik Barrow will be needed next year and there’s nobody looking forward to it more than him.

Prediction of early departures from this group? — Buckeye Ho Tep

The possibilities here — in my opinion — are Mike Weber, Johnnie Dixon, Parris Campbell, Isaiah Prince, Sam Hubbard, Dre’Mont Jones, Jerome Baker, and Denzel Ward. Weber should come back and show the NFL that he can stay healthy, because he’s only done it once in three attempts at OSU, and he wasn’t exactly fully healthy in 2016. He might take the Antonio Pittman approach, however, and leave because of the young guy who is taking his carries. Dixon might want to strike while the arthritis is cold. He’s never been this healthy and maybe he’ll want to leave while he can. Campbell has the combine numbers to be a prospect. I expect him back, however. I think Prince returns as well, and perhaps takes over at left tackle for Jamarco Jones. I would be surprised if Hubbard comes back, and so would Urban Meyer. Jones is a toss-up for me. Just three years removed from high school is a big jump for a defensive tackle, even though he might project to defensive end in the pros. I don’t know which way he is leaning, but I won’t be surprised if he leaves. I think Baker and Ward are both gone. Baker didn’t have the kind of year he has wanted, but he was everywhere against Wisconsin. Ward, meanwhile, is already the No. 10 prospect in the draft according to ESPN’s Todd McShay. If I had to answer, I’d say the defensive guys all leave and the offensive guys all return, assuming draft position matters to them.

Will TTUN embarrass the Big Ten against South Carolina? — @Neoconbuckeye

No, of course not. When was the last time Michigan embarrassed the B1G against South Carolina?

Can you give me a list of the, say, Top 15 cereals? — @Birm

These are just off the top of my heart, so I may be missing a couple, but this is as legitimate as I can make it without creating a spreadsheet.

NOT INTERESTED IN PLAYOFFS. BAD CALL BY COMMITTEE. NO BIG TEAMS. THREE TEAMS FROM SAME HOOD. HOPE THEY ALL LOOSE. HOW DID THE BUCKS END UP PLAYING 12-29. NO NEW YEARS DAY GAMES WORTH WATCHING. FIRE THE PLAYOFF COMMITTEE. IT ALL SUCKS.

Unfortunately Campbell can’t catch the downfield pass so it doesn’t matter if he stays – though he is an elite athlete and for the right team/system we’ll make some big plays – just not in a downfield position. Looks like someone who could fit with the Patriots scheme. Who is the next cornerback to be drafted – next year. Arnette or someone else?

One thing I think everyone would benefit from, or at least LEARN from would be how the officiating crews are put together, chosen per game, and how/why we don’t seem to benefit (at least in comparison to Penn State’s crews) from getting any home cooking. It is maddening sometimes.

Would love some info/assessment of players who caught my eye on special teams.

Justin Hillard (always around the ball); Pete Werner (looks like a hitter and seems fearless); Keandre Jones (speed on speed)– Okudah was a beast.

Also curious about some other players. Jack Wohlabaugh was supposed to be an up and coming center prospect–is he? Jerron Cage at DT, his brother was a starter at ND and he was supposed to be better than him.